Safer Internet Day BVI

Safer Internet Day BVI (SID) is organised in February of each year to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people across the world.

Safer Internet Day 2018 will be celebrated on Tuesday 6th February 2018.

Fresh Mango are the SID centre in The British Virgin Islands. Please contact us to discuss how you can get involved in the program.

About SID

Over the years, Safer Internet Day BVI has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar. Starting as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004 and taken up by the Insafe network (www.saferinternet.org) as one of its earliest actions in 2005, Safer Internet Day has grown beyond its traditional geographic zone and is now celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide, and across all continents.

From cyberbullying to social networking, each year Insafe aims to be at the forefront of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns. Recent themes included “Let’s create a better internet together”.

Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission*, each February to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology, especially among children and young people. Celebrated on the second day of the second week of the second month, each year on Safer Internet Day millions of people unite to inspire positive change and raise awareness of online safety issues and participate in events and activities right across the globe.

Safer Internet Day aims to not only create a safer internet but also a better internet, where everyone is empowered to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively. Safer Internet Day aims to reach out to children and young people, parents and carers, teachers, educators and social workers, as well as industry, decision makers and politicians, to encourage everyone to play their part in creating a better internet.

By celebrating the positive power of the internet, the 2018 Safer Internet Day theme of “Create, connect and share respect: A better internet starts with you” encourages everyone to join the global movement, to participate, to make the most of the internet’s potential to bring people together.

With a global, community-led approach, Safer Internet Day 2018 encourages everyone to join and play their part. There are many ways to do this:

Children and young people can help to create a better internet by being kind and respectful to others online, by protecting their online reputations (and those of others), and by seeking out positive opportunities to create, engage and share online.

Parents and carers play a crucial role in empowering and supporting children to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively, whether it is by ensuring an open dialogue with their children, educating them to use technology safely and positively, or by acting as digital role models.

Teachers, educators and social workers can help to create a better internet by equipping their pupils and students with digital literacy skills and by developing their critical thinking skills, which will allow them to better navigate the online world.

Industry can help to create a better internet by creating and promoting positive content and safe services online, and by empowering users to respond to any issues by providing clear safety advice, a range of easy-to-use safety tools, and quick access to support if things do go wrong.

Decision makers and politicians need to provide the culture in which all of the above can function and thrive – for example, by ensuring that there are opportunities in the curriculum for children to learn about online safety, ensuring that parents and carers have access to appropriate information and sources of support, and that industry are encouraged to self-regulate their content and services. They must also take the lead in governance and legislation, and ultimately ensure the safety and well-being of children and young people through effective child protection strategies for the online world.

Everyone has a responsibility to make a positive difference online. We can all promote the positive by being kind and respectful to others and seeking out positive opportunities to create and connect. We can all respond to the negative by reporting any inappropriate or illegal content.

We invite everyone to join us, and Safer Internet Day supporters across the globe, to help create a better internet on Tuesday, 6 February 2018 and, indeed, throughout the whole year. A better internet starts with you!

Insafe, a network set up within the Safer Internet Programme.

In 1999, the European Commission (EC) created the Safer Internet Programme, with the aim of promoting safe, responsible use of the internet by children and young people, and protecting them from illegal and harmful content and conduct online. The programme is managed by the Directorate General for Information, Society and Media and highlights the shared responsibility of NGOs, educational establishments, law enforcement bodies, industry and families in online safety initiatives across the European Union member states. In 2004, the Insafe network was set up to spearhead awareness activities within the Safer Internet Programme.

Safer Internet Centres and Committees

Insafe is a European network constituted by 30 national Safer Internet Centres in EU member states and in Iceland, Norway and Russia. Every national Centre implements awareness and educational campaigns, runs a helpline, and works closely with youth to ensure an evidence-based, multi-stakeholder approach to creating a better internet.

However, Safer Internet Day is also celebrated outside Europe. In 2009, the concept of Safer Internet Day Committees was introduced, to strengthen the bonds with countries outside the network and invest in a harmonised promotion of the campaign across the world. Around 70 committees started working closely with the Insafe coordination team, which is based at the heart of the European Union in Brussels.

Supporting SID

Saferinternetday.org provides a global online community platform where countries and international organisations can showcase events and actions conducted locally, nationally and internationally for Safer Internet Day.

Within these pages you will find a wealth of multilingual resources empowering young people, their teachers and their families to make the best possible use of online technology. It is a space where leaders in the internet safety community can communicate with the public and exchange ideas, knowledge and experience with each other.

If you would like to support SID, please email [email protected] and you will be contacted with further information.